Category Guest Blogs

Thanks to the University of Maryland / Maryland Grows this informative article about how to kill a houseplant.

It’s easy to kill a houseplant.

No matter how green his or her thumb, every gardener has a sad tale about the orchid that expired, the pothos that went to pot, or the weeping fig that dropped every blessed leaf.

You can gnash your teeth, rend your garments and fume. Or you can get busy and figure out what went wrong.

Houseplants fail for a handful of reasons.  Here are my top ten:

Overwatering

The number one killer of houseplants is overwatering. Roots need both water and air to thrive.  Waterlogged soil chokes roots.

Most plants like to dry out between each watering.  Stick your finger in the soil...

Thanks to Clean Sweep for this episode of Tips from the Pros about chimney odors.

When it comes to chimneys, seemingly small issues may be symptomatic of something serious brewing. These issues can have major repercussions down the road. As such, if any unusual scents are coming from your client’s fireplace, you should help them get to the root of the issue before listing it on the market. Here are the most common origins of those pesky odors.

Creosote Buildup

Creosote is the black or grey substance that adheres to our chimney walls each time we use our fireplaces. After prolonged fireplace usage, creosote buildups will start to occur, leading to highly unpleasant burning scents (and an unsafe fireplace)...

Thanks to the University of Maryland / Maryland Grows this informative article about poison ivy.

It starts with a twitch and an itch. Then it grows into full-blown scratchiness and dreadful knowing. You have poison ivy. Again.

I tip my hat to those immune to the maddening rash that contact with this plant brings. You are indeed the Fortunate Ones. The rest of us will try to quiet our whimpering.  

ID Poison Ivy

It pays to know the enemy. Poison ivy is a perennial plant that can climb trees as a vine, form a shrub, or snake over the ground. It spreads by seeds and rhizomes, sneaky underground stems that help it form colonies. 

A native plant whose berries feed over 50 species of birds, poison ivy has glossy leaves, attractive berries, and striking fall color...

There haven’t been many events to post lately because of Covid-19, but there are some events that are happening on a limited basis. Thanks to the Fire Museum of Maryland for this guest blog about their annual Motor Muster.

Fire Museum of Maryland’s Annual Motor Muster